Entries in RTM
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The MP4-12C was the first McLaren based on the Monocell carbon fiber tub that became the starting point for all McLaren road cars to follow. Aluminum and/or steel was used for the upper structure, and the subframe-mounted powertrain and suspension modules bolted to the chassis.“The Monocage that we launched on the 720S is an evolution of the Monocell concept introduced on the original MP4-12C road car in 2011,” says Adam Thomson, Body Manager, McLaren Automotive. Effectively a carbon fiber bathtub that holds both the occupants and acts as the primary vehicle structure, the Monocell (or Carbon MonoCell as it was originally called) is made in a single piece. When asked how McLaren does this, the standard reply is, “Very well, thank you,” an answer very much in keeping with the British company’s tight-lipped nature. However, a rigorous Internet search shows that production of the structure is performed by Carbo Tech in Salzburg, Austria, using bi-axial and tri-axial carbon fiber fabric produced by Formax UK Ltd.

Further research shows that, when McLaren introduced its revolutionary center-seat, three-passenger F1 supercar in 1992, it reportedly took 3,000 hours to build its woven carbon fiber monocoque. By the time the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren hit the market in 2003, McLaren engineers were able to reduce this time to just 500 hours. The time reduction was remarkable, but still far short of what was necessary for McLaren to profitably produce a family of high-performance mid-engine cars. It used the next eight years to whittle this down to just four hours for the MP4-12C.